There’s no denying Chicago, the largest city in the state of Illinois, is a bona fide bucket list destination.

With its futuristic skyline, explosive dining and extensive LGBTI scene, the blockbuster supercity is up there with the likes of New York City and Los Angeles as one of America’s most famous destinations. But there is so much more to Illinois than just Chicago.

Here are five charming and historical places to visit in The Prairie State, all driving distance from Chi-town, several via the iconic Route 66…

1 Galena

Firstly, with a population of just 3,255 people, is Galena in northwest Illinois. This tiny town makes a huge impression. Located near the Wisconsin boarder, it’s worth a visit for a photo op on Main Street alone. This iconic street is perfectly preserved with colourful, charismatic 19th century houses.

Why not visit the charming boutiques and coffee houses before mixing it up with a whiskey at the Blaum Brothers distillery? Or perhaps Amelia’s Galena Ghost Tour? The town is believed by many to possess ghoul-infested historical buildings. For blood pressure-friendly activities, head to the Galena Historical Society and Museum or the Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery.

For upscale accommodation options try Aldrich Guest House Bed and Breakfast [above], the Jail House Inn and Inn at Irish Cottage.

The Belle Aire Mansion is a Pre-Civil War, Federal style home, located on 11 well-groomed acres, featuring a barn, windmill and many beautiful trees and flowers. For accommodations we have two suites and three rooms, all with private baths.

The guest rooms are warm and inviting, furnished in antiques and reproductions. All our rooms have Dish satellite TV and VCR’s and we have a large video tape library for our guests enjoyment.

Guests are welcome to gather at the kitchen table to talk, or use the parlor to read, relax, or share conversation with other guests. They may feel free to browse through our books and magazines, walk down a tamarack-lined driveway, or just sit on the porch and enjoy the day.

At Galena’s Aldrich Guest House, we provide you with with luxurious surroundings coupled with professional and intuitive, yet unobtrusive, service. We have renewed the interior and decor to provide relevance in the 21st century yet maintain the inspiration of the origins of the house from 1845 by highlighting the architectural beauty and craftsmanship that put this house on the National Register of Historic Places – no doilies here!

We invite you to take advantage of all that this Galena mansion has to offer and make yourself at home. You are encouraged to walk through the nearly half acre of lawn and gardens, relax on the screened in porch, play games or enjoy wine and listen to music of your choosing in the parlor, or let us schedule a massage for you in the library.

Or maybe you would like to explore Galena and visit the historic sites, shop along Main Street, or see the wineries, distillery, or brewery. For those who enjoy the outdoors, kayak or canoe down the Galena River, walk or bike along the riverfront trail, cross country or downhill ski, or explore any of the nearby national and state parks. All of this is just a five minute walk from Aldrich Guest House and is waiting for you!

Whether it’s a getaway from the stress of the city, a romantic couple’s vacation, a friends or family reunion, a sightseeing adventure, or anything in between, Aldrich Guest House is your premier boutique bed and breakfast in Galena. We’re looking forward to welcoming you soon!

The USA has several cities that are known around the world as being iconic or embodiment of America. We think of New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago. We haven’t all gotten to to each of the cities as a family, but finally I got to do Chicago solo… and I wish I would’ve had the family with me.

Chicago solo travel is a great city adventure. Museums, food, historic buildings and tours, it’s a perfect weekend escape or easy to explore as a business traveler. 2traveldads.comChicago solo is really awesome though and totally easy to do in two or three days; you could even do Chicago solo in one day if you were really in a pinch and wanted to. It’s an easy, walk-able city with unlimited potential and unforgettable sights.

1. Walk the streets of Chicago

Doing Chicago solo is so easy because it’s such a walk-able city. Most of the key sights and museums are all around either the Chicago River or the Magnificent Mile, aka Michigan Ave. Walking the Magnificent Mile will let you see some of Chicago’s incredible architecture, maybe let you do some shopping, grab food, and the get you to any museums you want to visit.

Embracing environmental and socially sustainable practices, Jail Hill Inn is proud to have earned the Galena Green Lodging designation. Keeping a strong respect for the earth in mind, we supply Aveda plant-based products in every suite and are pleased to offer our guests two charging stations for their electric vehicles during their stay; a Tesla station and a universal station.

When you stay at Jail Hill Inn in Galena, you will enjoy a wonderful reception of wine and cheese on your arrival and in your suite chocolates and chilled champagne awaits you. After a great night’s rest, you will enjoy a 3-course, gourmet breakfast in our 1st floor dining room.

‘Remember to breathe,’ I tell myself, as the helicopter pilot’s voice rings through my ears, my body judders and 1,172 glittering high rise buildings unfold before me. The Chicago Helicopter Experience is shredding my nerves, but it’s also highlighting just how magnificent this 2.7 million-person city truly is.

Grandiose skyscrapers pierce a skyline at once jagged and curiously neat – a result of meticulous urban planning after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Behind me, the staggering Lake Michigan disappears into the night like an ocean.

Like the lake, gay Chicago – Obama’s hometown – is huge; the largest in Illinois. The state capital of Springfield – the former hometown of Abraham Lincoln – is a three-hour drive away, and home to just 117,000. The view is exhilarating, expansive, absurd, and in my book, about as glamorously cosmopolitan as America gets.

The stools at Dove’s Luncheonette in Wicker Park are crafted of a shiny, rich brown vinyl and gleam with newness. On a bustling weekday afternoon each one will be flattened by Midwestern butts–which are arguably more voluminous during the winter months. Dee Dee Warwick’s “A Fool for Love” is playing on a record player, not on the vintage Select-O-Matic 100 jukebox hiding in the corner, which works only about half of the time. Meanwhile, gratuitous wood paneled walls give the whole place a kind of 70s dive bar vibe and provides the requisite cue that we are deep in the heart of hipster country. But the real draw at this newly opened throwback diner from superstar chef Paul Kahan (Big Star, the Publican) is the menu whose Tex-Mex inspired standouts include smoked brisket with avocado, pico de gallo, chicarones and green chile vinaigrette rolled into a large flour tortilla, or chicken fried chicken drenched in chorizo verde gravy and topped with sweat peas and pearl onions. It is joints like this that remind the world why gay Chicago is everyone’s kind of town.

There is much to be excited about in gay Chicago these days. Yes, it’s still cold December through March (and sometimes November and April), yes the crime rate is higher than residents would like it to be (although way down overall when measured against previous decades), and yes the Cubs still suck (but does anybody really honestly care?). On the other hand, a spate of enchanting new public parks are slated for 2015 arrival (two of which are profiled below), neighborhoods like the West Loop, Fulton Market, Pilsen, and Logan Square that were quiet a mere decade ago are now chockablock with bars, restaurants, shops, and art galleries, and the city’s queer scene has gotten so big that Boystown on weekend summer nights rivals places like the French Quarter and Ybor City in terms of exuberant revelry.

Be on the lookout for many new buildings, public projects, and exciting cultural offerings from Chicago in the coming months, and come prepared for amazing food and libations

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay.

The Rippon-Kinsella House is a brick Victorian located on a half acre in a quiet neighborhood on the north side of Springfield. We are within walking distance of Oak Ridge Cemetery and the Lincoln Tomb and are just five minutes from downtown and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana-Thomas House and the other Lincoln sites.

We’re launching a new weekly series on the blog and our Facebook travel groups – City Sundays. Each week we’ll select a different LGBT friendly city to talk about, and we’ll invite our innkeeper and travel agent/tour operator friends to come talk with us about it as well.

Today, Chicago. We were there in 2002, in late April, and spent almost a perfect week. Though the Windy City can be just that, it’s also beautiful and clean, with lots of metrosexuals (or whatever the heck we’re calling them now)